The Nightmare Before Christmas: Season Screamings!
by Water Wolf of the Rose
Summary: Jack and Sally have four children together many years after Jack's holiday adventure and history is bound to repeat itself.
1. Opening

Disclaimer: I don't own the Nightmare Before Christmas.

And finally, everything worked out just fine –

Christmas was saved, though there wasn't much time.

But, after that night, things were never the same,

Each holiday now knew the other one's name.

And so when their long isolation had ended,

They cautiously reached out, and slowly befriended.

And though that one Christmas, things got out of hand,

I'm still rather fond of that skeleton man.

Though misguided I think his intentions were good.

He was just a poor skeleton misunderstood.

So many years later I thought I'd drop in,

And there was old Jack, still looking quite thin.

With four or five skeleton children at hand

Playing strange little tunes in their xylophone band.

And I asked to old Jack, 'Do you remember the night,

When the sky was so dark, and the moon shone so bright?

'When a million small children pretending to sleep

Nearly didn't have Christmas at all, so to speak?

'And would, if you could, turn that mighty clock back

To that long fateful night? Now, think carefully, Jack.

'Would you do the whole thing all over again?

Knowing what you know now, knowing what you knew then?'

And he smiled like the old Pumpkin King that I knew,

Then turned, and asked softly of me... 'Wouldn't you?'

A couple of years after the events of Jack's Christmas adventure, the land of Halloweentown was buzzing with excitement of what Jack wished to announce. All the residents rushed to Town Hall where Jack stood beaming with excitement at the podium on the stage. Once everyone was seated they grew silent with anticipation.

Jack stepped forward and said in a proud voice, "Ladies and gentleghouls and other such goblins, my dearest friends. I have been informed of exciting news! Sally and I are expecting!"

The crowd cheered in excitement and joy at what they heard. They all suddenly jumped out of their seats and headed for the door and rushed to their homes to prepare gifts for Jack and Sally and their new bouncing bundle of joy that was to come. Sally came up to Jack who stood somewhat bewildered that the announcement happened so quickly. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled at him, which snapped him out of his staring state.

"Jack, let's go home." She said turning around to step down the stage. But before she took an other step, Jack pulled her back by her arm and smiled at her. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, placing his boney hand over her large stomach. She smiled and giggled then kissed him again. "Don't be long, Jack." And with that, he let her go as she walked down the steps and out of Town Hall.

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS: SEASON SCREAMINGS!

A photo sat on a tabletop of Jack and Sally with their four children and Zero. Three skeleton boys and a rag doll daughter. Suddenly the photo was knocked over by a thin skeletal child running by but a long skeletal hand quickly caught it.

"Jared!" Jack shouted as he placed the photo back upon the table. The child that nearly caused the photo to crash to the floor stopped running and turned around running away from another skeletal child who seemed slightly older than the first.

"John!" Jack shouted to the other as the two ran passed him. "Not inside, you two!" Jack said sternly as he reached out and lifted the two from off their feet.

"But dad!" Jared, the younger, smaller skeletal boy said.

"No buts! Go outside if you're going to play Catch the Dead Man." Jack said putting the boys down.

"I wouldn't be going outside or playing games at all." Sally said coming into the room.

"Why not mom?" John asked.

"Did you forget about your concert?" she said looking down at her sons.

"That stupid concert is hours away! We can play games in the meantime." Jared said crossing his arms.

"Who said you could still play? I don't want you to break any bones." Sally said, "Now get ready! The concert is only ten minutes from now not ten hours."

The twins groaned and hung their heads as they left the room and went up the stairs. Just as they went up, a thin girl came down. She had black hair pulled back in a webbing tie that reached passed her waist and there were stitches all over the parts of her pure white body that could be seen.

She came into the room the boys had left and smiled up at her parents.

"Hello Carol." Sally said. "Oh! Look Jack! She made a dress out of one of your old suits!"

"She gets it from you, Sally." Jack said.

Carol was indeed wearing an outfit that strongly resembled Jack's suit. It was a dress that draped to her knees and with the coat tails swaying behind her. She even wore the bat bowtie that signified Jack's look.

"So do you like it?" Carol asked in delight.

"It's absolutely beautiful Carol." Sally said hugging her daughter.

"You did a fantastic job. You look frighteningly like me." Jack joked.

"I'll say she's a spitting image of you dad." A voice said from the door. A taller skeleton, shorter than Jack but taller than Carol and the twins, came into the room. He was wearing a dark grey turtleneck sweater with a black jacket that had coat tails similar to Jack's and black somewhat baggy pants. He strongly resembled Jack if Jack were younger.

"If only I could spit, Jimmy!" Carol said with glee as she turned and leapt upon her older brother.

"James, is that what you're wearing to the concert?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I made him wear it. Do you not like it?" Carol asked looking upside down from her brother's arms.

"No I was about to tell him that he looked as good as you." Jack said.

Just then Jared and John came down the steps in nicer dress.

"Alright, we better get going." Sally announced pushing her children out the door.

Town Hall was all set up with percussion equipment on the stage and the crowd was all sitting and talking amongst themselves. The Mayor came onto the stage and stepped up to the podium. He raised his hands in the air and the talking subsided into silence.

"Ahem! Hello and welcome to our annual Christmas Time Jubilee Concert! We will be hearing a very special performance of Scarol of the Bells by the Skellington children who we have been privileged to hear perform each year from the time all four picked up an instrument. We hope you all will get chills down your spines by this fantastic performance." The Mayor announced. He clapped and the crowd followed his example.

The lights dimmed and the Mayor came off the stage. In the darkness and silence a sound was heard on stage of bright and happy light bells chiming to the beginning melody of Carol of the bells. It was quick and staccato and it slowly began to slow down into a very slow tempo and much lower octave that resonated a darker sound of the same melody. Suddenly the lights came on the stage at the last note of the melody and the four Skellington children were on stage playing on the percussion instruments. The youngest, Jared was playing on a large set of drums, John was on garbage cans and pots and pans, Carol was standing on a large wooden plank that lay on stage, and James was on everything in between such as bells, xylophone, vibes, chimes, and marimba.

MORE ON THE STORY SOON TO COME! (It still needs a little brain-storming to do) Please R&R!


	2. Carol's Lament

Disclaimer: I don't own the Nightmare Before Christmas

I understand that I kinda stopped at a bad time but I was kicked off the computer. So I will continue now and I am thrilled with the fact that I have already received reviews. I hope the rest of my story will continue to be exciting.

The three brothers began beating on their instruments with up-beat rhythms. It seemed as though they were merely smacking around the equipment and beating up everything but it sounded really good. It was a unique new way of the classic Carol of the Bells; it was indeed the _Scarol_ of Bells. Carol began tap-dancing on the plank of wood. Each step was a crisp snappy sound and it was very fast. She did all kinds of acrobatic tricks (and on tap shoes no less) such as back flips and splits. She would go faster and faster as the song progressed. The crowd was in awe at the agility and grace she had, that the boys were able to create such interesting sounds from out of percussive instruments, and that they were making a classic carol into this awesome piece of music and performance.

With the last note and tap of Carol's shoe, the song ended and the audience roared in applause. The siblings stepped forward and bowed then walked off stage to greet their pleased critics and guests.

"That was frightfully exciting, Miss Carol!" said a vampire.

"You sent my spine tingling!" cried the mummy.

"You have quite the daughter there, Jack!" the clown commented.

"They were all fascinating!" the Mayor exclaimed.

"We are very proud of them, all of them." Sally insisted.

"That made my fur stick on end!" howled the werewolf.

The Skellingtons were all very proud. But Carol seemed to feel a little different.

As the family came out to the empty streets after the event, Carol stopped.

"What's wrong Carol?" Jack stopped and asked his daughter.

"Nothing dad… just go ahead. I'll be home in a bit." Carol replied, turning away from him and moving towards the cemetery.

"Okay. Don't forget to pick up Zero." He called out to her as she entered the gates.

The cemetery wasn't dangerous. In fact, Halloweentown was a lot safer than any town in the real world now that Oogie Boogie was out of the picture, so Jack allowed his children to play around at night and wander off on their own as they pleased.

Carol passed by Zero's grave and gave a pat to her thigh as the her ghost dog leapt out of his grave and gave her a lick on the cheek. She wasn't exactly happy and Zero was able to tell. She came towards the Spiral Hill and began to sing:

There are few who'd deny, at what I do I am the best

For my talents are renowned far and wide

When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night

I excel without ever even trying

With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms

I have seen grown men give out a shriek

With the wave of my hand, and a well-placed moan

I have swept the very bravest off their feet

Yet, year after year, it's the same routine

And I grow so weary of the sound of screams

And I, Carol, I cry out and sing

Have grown so tired of the same old thing

Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones

An emptiness began to grow

There's something out there, far from my home

A longing that I've never known

I'm a master of fright, and a demon of light

And I'll scare you right out of your pants

To a guy in Kentucky, I'm Mistress Unlucky

And I'm known throughout England and France

And since I am dead, I can take off my head

To recite Shakespearean quotations

No animal nor man can scream like I can

With the fury of my recitations

But who here would ever understand

That the Pumpkin Child with the skeleton grin

Would tire of her crown, if they only understood

She'd give it all up if she only could

Oh, there's an empty place in my bones

That calls out for something unknown

The fame and praise come year after year

Does nothing for these empty tears

With that, she sat by a crumbling tombstone and hugged herself. Zero whimpered for her and tried to lick the sadness out of her. She looked at her spectral pet and smiled patting him on the head.

"Oh Zero. I wish that I could visit that place that dad had seen. He keeps telling me about all this but he never lets me go into the Hinterlands. Why doesn't he want me to know the world he once made his own?" she asked her canine companion.

"Because I don't want you to make the same mistake I did." A voice said from behind her. Carol whipped around and looked up to see her father standing over her like a towering gargoyle.

"Dad I-" she stuttered.

"No it's okay, Carol. I understand how you feel. I felt the exact same way when I sang that same song."

"Really?"

Jack nodded.

"Then how come you won't let me go into the Hinterlands?"

"Don't question me about what I ask of you. Do you understand?"  
"NO! I don't understand!"

"Because if you go in I'm afraid you won't come out. I don't want you to find those doors. All you need is here." He hugged her. "Please do as I ask."

Carol was quiet for a short while before saying "okay."

Jack pulled away from her and picked her up to her feet, then taking her hand he said, "C'mon let's go home."


End file.
